Same Difference by Siobhan Vivian

Agh. My internet has been down the past couple of days. I could log in for about 5 minutes every 5 hours and then it would wonk out on me again. So completely frustrating - especially when I have things to post! Thank God/Zeus/Allah it's back.

In my last post, I casually mentioned I got to meet Siobhan Vivian on Friday. I absolutely love her writing (as you'll see soon in this rave review), so I was extremely excited and nervous to meet her. She was way cool, casual, and fun. Plus, she bought us smoothies! More on that later, once I get all my pictures uploaded and type up the interview I did with her. (!)

But, for now, a review of her latest.

Same Difference involves, much like A Little Friendly Advice, friendship. Emily is heading to a summer program at an art institute, and is ready to discover more of her artistic side. At the same time, she's home-sick about leaving her best friend Meg back in Cherry Grove, cutting down on their scheduled Starbucks trips and long soaks in the pool. Although she still spends more time at home than in art school, Emily can't help but begin to question her identity once she meets larger-than-life Fiona. Is she plain ol' Emily from Cherry Grove, or the bubbly artist who hops from art galleries to live concerts? Or maybe a mixture of both?

I love the detail that goes into Siobhan's writing. Her descriptions - from the setting to the fashion - are all very vivid and scenic. She definitely has a gift for imagery. And the relationships between Emily and her friends were honest and heartfelt. Art was a big part of the book, and it added even more depth to the story. A Little Friendly Advice also had a form of art (photography), as a background, and I think passions and/or quirks give more oomph to a story. A backbone, more or less.

But all of these great, small like-abilities (such as good characters, good descriptions, etc.) added up to a completely outstanding, lovable novel. Siobhan Vivian is one of my new favorite authors, and I literally can't wait for her newest book to come out. I might shrivel up from the anticipation of it all.

Also - the girl on the cover looks like Ellen Page, doesn't she?

Check back soon (once my lazy, procrastinating self types it up), for an interview with Siobhan concerning her favorite books, her writing, David Levithan as her editor, her love of Buffy, and much (much!) more. Oh, and pictures. :)

Spoilers?

I finished The Mortal Instruments series, even though I never wanted it to end. It's definitely one of my top three favorite series, and I'm extremely happy Cassandra Clare is going to stay in the Shadowhunter world for a while longer to make The Infernal Devices. (Which OMFG am I excited about.)

Anyway, totally not the point of this post. I wanted to talk about spoilers. Not for this series, but in general. I was given a pretty big one for both the first and second books. And it made me shy away from reading them, simply because I wanted to forget. But, in both cases, the spoilers didn't turn out to be what I expected. At all.

I want to know if it's the same for you. If you hear a spoiler, does it make you want to read the book less? And, if you read the book(s) anyway, did the spoilers tear away from the story?

P.S. I get to meet Siobhan Vivian tomorrow! Nanner, nanner. Expect pictures, an interview, etc.

P.P.S - The winner of the Wake contest is Iryna. I'll email you for your address. Unless you email me first. ;)

FunFunFun

I bought a tape recorder a couple months ago, planning an elaborate type of interview set-up. I'd record interviews through the phone (on speaker), then play it for the webcam, upload it on youtube, and post it. But I found a much, much easier way through a website. It automatically records it for me & allows me to post it here as an mp3. Ah, technology.

Anyway, I was hoping to look for some YA authors OR other YA bloggers who would like to do a casual interview, chat books, etc. I'm planning to do one every Tuesday around 5 pm eastern time - at least if I have enough interested parties! :) If you'd be included in that group (the interested one), just email me and we can set something up! And I can change the time if needed.

Email, email, email! And look out for some fun interviews popping up here with some of your favorite authors and bloggers!

Hottie by Jonathan Bernstein

I suffered without internet for a full week before I got back to Ohio. But other than that (and the 8-hour drive), my trip was pretty fun. I was busy most of the time, but I managed to finish City of Ashes; I'm in the middle of City of Glass now, but when I'm done, expect a post on my worship for the whole series. I'm working my way through email and comments still.

I also read Hottie by Jonathan Bernstein, which is a type of comical superhero book. It's been described as "Clueless" meets "X-men", which I think is the most accurate comparison mixture I've seen in a while. Alison, our heroine, goes in for plastic surgery - that she doesn't need - and gets fried during a freak accident. Of course, it gives her superhero capabilities, and she can now shoot flames out of her fingers. Hence the title, her alias is Hottie. She pairs up with a supergeek named David and goes on gallivanting adventures for the rest of the novel.

The whole book is ridiculous. But in a good way. It's implausible and completely predictable, but it's expected to be, and has the type of humor that allows it to be coincidingly fun and enjoyable. It really was the perfect vacation read. I don't think Hottie will be loved by all (especially those who take it too seriously), but I know it'll have a good demographic fanbase. I'll be sure to pick up the sequel when it hits shelves - I so have to see which romantic interest Alison picks. ;)

Favorite Fictional Characters

The title pretty much says it all - this is going to be a post contributing worship to all the realistic characters I've come to love. A million thanks to the authors who brought them to life.

I'm not going to list the books, because I think it's more fun to recognize or find them, but ask in the comments if you're curious. (I might be slow in responding, though, because I'm on vaca in North Carolina. This is a scheduled post because I have no idea when I'll be able to get online.) On to the characters...

Mary "Jacky" Faber. For having a spirit that can't be tamed, and an intense passion for music, the sea, boys, and life. One of my all-time favorites.

Atticus Finch. For his honest heart and strong will.

Johnny Cade. For being - and staying - gold.

Jace Wayland. For being a completely lovable asshole. A la House.

Francie Nolan. For reminding me so much of myself, and for making the most out of the simple things.

Chloe. For being one of the most simple yet complicated people I've ever had the pleasure of reading about.

The Gray Widows. For having as much life as they do, despite their old age.

Frankie Landau-Banks. For her wit and girrrrlpower! And for giving us as many laughs as she did.

I have many, many more. But these are the ones that first sprang to mind. Feel free to (pleasepleaseplease!) comment telling me your favorites, too.

Free ebooks!

I read the first two Vampire Diaries books a while ago - way before the whole vampire craze set - and they were complete time-sucking fun. I'm happy to say the WB, my favorite TV network, has picked up the rights to turn it into a TV show! This is old news, but if you missed it, now you're informed! I'm in complete anticipation for the series to start, but meanwhile, Harper Collins is offering the first two books, in e format, for free! Just click here to read them.

I'm not sure how long they'll be up, as I was only told "for a limited time". Hurry up and read them! They're also offering Wicked Lovely here. Anyone planning on going to Supernatural Summer in June? I'm trying!

If anyone else knows of free YA ebooks, let us know in the comments! :)

Also -- as a side note, I was interviewed by the fabulous Lisa Schroeder (!) here (the same interview is also on Livejournal here.)

Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer

This was our book club pick for March, as well as a Newbery Honor winner, but in some ways it failed to impress me.

The story centers around Hope who, after moving from city to city, lands in a town that she'll soon call home. A waitress for several years, teen-aged Hope quickly takes to the Welcome Stairways diner, where most of the setting is developed. Her Aunt Addie takes over as head cook while the owner, G.T., runs for mayor to save the corrupt town from remaining as is. But he's hit with some controversy because of his current fight with cancer, and Hope herself is in the middle of the political throes, trying to win people over to G.T's campaign.

This book was partly about life, partly about politics, partly about...well, practically everything. There were a whole lot of small side stories, some of which I enjoyed and some of which I could have done without. Each character was connected in at least a small way, and the setting really created a comfy atmosphere.

What I didn't like, however, was the way the book itself was written. Joan Bauer is a good writer, I'll give her that, but the book skipped around a lot and made it hard to be completely sucked into the story. I'd get into a scene, only to be taken out of it less than a page after it's start. It made the book fast-paced, which is good for certain readers, but it just wasn't my style. That said, I think the book accomplished a hell of a lot for the length and speed in which it read. The characters were memorable and it made me subtly think - it wasn't a stand-out, attention-grabbing read, but that was something I loved about it. And it sure gave me a lot of respect for waitresses.

I'm sold on the book, but I can't completely agree with it's glossy Newberry sticker. Regardless, I'm definitely going to have to check out more of Bauer's books.

P.S. - To anyone who's read it, here's a recipe for the Keep Hoping sandwich mentioned in the book!

A Chat With Lisa & Cassandra

I mentioned that I'd post about our chat with Lisa and Cassandra today - but we're doing something better. A video. Kari, (Lauren's sister) and my best friend Emili were great cinematographers! :) I hope you enjoy it! From left to right is Lisa McMann, Cassandra Clare, me, Kristi, and Lauren.

Contest!

Another goody I got on Friday was an extra, autographed copy of Wake to give away. I'll probably part with some of my rune tattoos and some bookmarks, too. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment telling me the weirdest or most interesting dream you've had by Wednesday, April 15th! Check back then to see who wins, along with a collection of my favorite dream stories!

Check out Kristi's and Lauren's blogs sometime today, too, for more chances to win.

LM & CC Event - Pictures!

Last night? So. Much. Fun! Kristi, Lauren, and I all met in the bookstore (after Kristi ate some pig) and checked out the nice spread. I was completely nervous about meeting K and L but they were both really laid-back and funny. We chatted books for a while - I was so tempted to buy a few (especially Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers because of the hundreds of raving reviews). But we were huddled close-ish to the door and practically freaked when Cassandra and Lisa walked in. We were able to chat with them for a good while (come back Monday to check out what about!), and Lisa brought Mrs. Spoobin with her! If you don't know what I'm talking about, just go here.

We got some cool memorabilia, like tattoos from City of Bones (that represent runes!), sample chapters, and necklaces. Not to mention personalized, signed copies of their books! They read a bit and answered questions for a while before we had to leave.

Tomorrow and Monday will feature some more details and goodies from the event. Maybe a contest? *pointed cough*

I live four hours from Cincinnati, but it was definitely worth the drive. We're staying all weekend, and aside from the awesome book event, we were able to go to the zoo today (There were naked mole rats! And a penguin they let out to waddle around! And a 4d movie that sprayed water at you! Ton of fun.), and we're hopefully going to the aquarium tomorrow before heading back. There are a lot of museums & events around here, so it's definitely a city I'd recommend. Especially to more authors. *elbow, elbow*

I'm so sad the event is over, but it was definitely a memorable one.

Hear Me Rawr (/Talk)

I just got back from a very (very!) fun author event with Lisa McMann and Cassandra Clare, who were both fun, bubbly, and nice. It was great meeting them, and I have some goodies and such coming up in the next few days. I also got to meet Kristi and Lauren, who were both as awesome in real life as you'd expect them to be! But, yeah, more on that later.

Tomorrow, April 4th, at 11 am Eastern time, I'm going to be interviewed live here. Just chatting about books and reviewing and all that general stuff. I hope you'll come and hear me! I think (think!) you can listen to a recording of it afterward? But check the site out either way. The interviewer is author Barry Eva, who wrote Across the Pond, and he interviews other bookish people there, too.

I'm so caught up in City of Ashes now, though, I don't know how I'm going to make time for our planned zoo trip, etc, while we're in Cincinnati! Ah! Happy reading & stuff. :)

Willow by Julia Hoban

Today, April 2nd, Willow by Julia Hoban is released. It's one of the best books of 2009. And, okay, there have only been 4 months so far. But it's going to be very, very (almost impossibly!) hard to top this one.

We have Willow as our MC - a girl who is grieving terribly hard after a car accident involving the death of her parents. And Willow was driving. The guilt proves to be too much for her, and she releases her pain in self-mutilating cuts all over her body. Things continue as they are for a while, until Guy comes along and discovers her secret, cropping up an outpouring of emotions.

That summary doesn't do Willow any kind of justice. Or Willow, the character, either. Both are so intensely deep and multifaceted that it's difficult to put into words (unless you're Julia Hoban, of course.) Willow was such an incredible character; her emotions and actions were so natural and true in a completely painstaking way. How she dealt with her grief, family, Guy, life - everything - made her not just a character but a real, live person. She comes out of the pages, grabs you, and lets you peek in on her life story.

This book is packed with meaning and depth, but it's also written in an enjoyable way. I had fun reading it, despite the depressing context (is that morbid?) Hoban mixes dark with light, spinning it into something Rumpelstiltskin would be very proud of. You've made gold, Julia Hoban.

Readers, go out and buy this one. Fast.

I'm in a book!

Alea informed me that there's a quote from me - (and several other bloggers, yeahyeahyeah) - in the paperback copy of Audrey, Wait! (!!!!!) This is the first time I've appeared in a book (that I know of - if you've seen me somewhere else, tell me!), so I'm ecstatic. Look! I'm among great company, considering I read and adore almost every blog and author quoted.

Here's a close up. (Picture stolen from Alea!) It's four words. But, hell, it's there!